Zelensky-Trump meeting Highlights: European shares rise amid potential peace deal

Air raid sirens sounded over Kyiv on Monday, ahead of highly anticipated talks in Washington between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US leader Donald Trump, AFP reported.

The Ukrainian air force said on social media that an air alert was triggered across the country because a Russian MiG-31 was detected taking off, capable of carrying Kinzhal hypersonic missiles that Moscow has been using in attacks.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz of Germany also arrived and joined his fellow European leaders at the White House on Monday for a sit-down with President Trump.

Six of the seven European leaders have arrived at the White House for today’s meeting. French President Emmanuel Macron arrived just a few minutes ago. He landed at Dulles International Airport, outside Washington, CNN reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday called for a durable peace for his war-battered country and Europe, ahead of talks in Washington with European allies and US President Donald Trump.

"Our main goal is a reliable and lasting peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe," he posted on social media, adding: "We must stop the killing, and I thank the partners who are working to do so and, ultimately, to bring about a lasting and dignified peace."

Here’s a list of European leader who arrived at the White House with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
• French President Emmanuel Macron
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
• Finnish President Alexander Stubb

Russia currently holds about 20% of Ukrainian territory. In his Sunday night post, Trump wrote that Zelenskyy should also accept Russia’s illegal 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region.

Zelenskyy rejected Putin’s demand that Ukraine surrender the Donbas region, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, since the Ukrainian Constitution forbids giving up territory or trading land. That also means he can’t cede Crimea either.

A lot of issues need to be resolved, however, and the two sides have previously established red lines that are incompatible, including questions of whether Ukraine will cede any land to Russia, the future of Ukraine's army and whether the country will have any guarantee against further Russian aggression.

In a post on social media Sunday night, Trump appeared to shift the burden for ending the war to Zelenskyy, whose country was invaded in February 2022.

Five Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia are at the centre of diplomatic efforts to settle the three-and-a-half-year war.

Russia has demanded the whole of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in exchange for a freeze on the southern front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, a source told AFP.

After a meeting with US special envoy on Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, Ukrainian President Zelensky said, “We discussed the battlefield situation and our strong diplomatic capabilities – Ukraine’s and all of Europe’s together with America. Russia can only be forced into peace through strength, and President Trump has that strength. We have to do everything right to make peace happen.”

Downtown DC has been put on alert as Trump is set to host Ukraine talks in the White House. With Zelenskyy and several European leaders in town for hastily arranged meetings, the area around the White House bulged with security.

A line of black SUVs stretched up 16th Street from Lafayette Park. Motorcycle cops stood by.

Some roads were blocked off by police and dump trucks, and there were extra checkpoints to screen people approaching the White House.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday met the US special envoy on Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, in Washington ahead of high-stakes talks on peace with President Donald Trump later on Monday, Ukrinform news agency reported.

Ahead of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who will accompanied by a delegation of European leaders, US President Donald Trump on Monday “called it a Big Day at White House” as all the leaders aim to negotiate an end to Russia-Ukraine war.

Ukrainian President Zelensky will be joined by a delegation of European leaders at the White House for his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Here’s a list of European leaders who will accompany Zelensky to the White House today"

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
• NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
• French President Emmanuel Macron
• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
• Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
• Finnish President Alexander Stubb

Russian attacks on major Ukrainian cities killed at least 10 people on Monday, hours before President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was expected to press his case in Washington against a quick deal to end Moscow's war.

An entire family including a toddler and her 16-year-old brother were among the seven killed in an overnight drone strike on a residential neighbourhood in northeastern Kharkiv, authorities said. Twenty-three people were wounded, they said.

Trump's latest meeting with Zelensky comes after the US president held a summit with Vladimir Putin regarding a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. While that summit ended with "no deal" as yet, Trump is hopeful a deal will be made with the Ukrainian leader now. READ MORE

European leaders will hold a "preparatory meeting" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington, the European Union said on Monday.

The agenda of EU chief Ursula von der Leyen published by the European Commission showed the huddle will take place before a multilateral meeting with Trump at the White House. No further details were provided.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will bring with him an extraordinary cadre of European leaders to show US President Donald Trump a united front against Russia on Monday.

The European political heavy-hitters were left out of Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, and they are looking to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow.

Hours before high-stakes talks with US counterpart Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia should not be "rewarded" for its war.

"Putin will commit demonstrative killings to maintain pressure on Ukraine and Europe, as well as to humiliate diplomatic efforts," Zelensky said on social media, adding: "Russia should not be rewarded for its participation in this war."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday claimed that Russia had carried out "cynical" strikes on Ukraine, including on an Azerbaijani-owned oil facility, ahead of his planned talks in Washington with Donald Trump.

"This was a demonstrative and cynical Russian strike. They are aware that a meeting is taking place today in Washington that will address the end of the war," he wrote on X.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday to discuss the outcome of last week's Russia-US summit, the Kremlin said.

Ramaphosa "expressed support for the diplomatic efforts being undertaken to bring about a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis". The two leaders also discussed further development of a "comprehensive strategic Russian-South African partnership", the Kremlin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue to inform foreign partners about the outcome of the Russia-US summit, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing the Kremlin.

Ukraine's energy minister on Monday said that Russia attacked energy infrastructure in Odesa region overnight. His remarks come hours before Ukrainian President Zelensky is set to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington today.

World shares were mixed ahead of US President Donald Trump's meeting later Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders.

Markets showed scant reaction to Trump's inconclusive summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Investors are also watching for cues from an annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, of top central bankers later this week.